


Skipping

by becominghistoric



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friendship, because I've been mean to them in a lot of fics recently, everyone is friends and it's sunny and happy yay, it's just a lovely day today to have some ridiculous les amis fluff, potential e/r YAY
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-27
Updated: 2013-05-27
Packaged: 2017-12-13 04:11:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/819824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/becominghistoric/pseuds/becominghistoric
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a lovely day, so Les Amis fun in the park ensues, and Gavroche wants Grantaire to teach him how to box...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Skipping

**Author's Note:**

> They have a football match, and by football I mean soccer, just to save any confusion! :)

It was a warm, lazy day, and Cosette had herded them all up to drag them off for a picnic in the park. Even Enjolras had grudgingly agreed to leave his work at home, although the compromise had been that he could bring along one of his many thick volumes on the historical foundation of law (“Cosette, it’s not work if I actually enjoy reading it.” “God, if you have kids, I dread to think what their bedtime stories will be.”), and he was currently sat in the shade of a tree, reading it intently. Grantaire flopped next to him and stretched out like a cat “Bit of light reading?”

“Yes, actually.”

Any further conversation was interrupted by Bahorel bellowing “GOOOOAAAL!”

Gavroche had brought a football with him, and a rather shambolic match was taking place. Bahorel was referee, as whenever he played it normally ended in broken footballs, and occasionally broken bones (due to past experiences involving aforementioned broken bones, Joly had decided to sit out. Marius had happily accompanied him, also having been victim to a few bloody noses. They cheered from a safe distance instead). Cosette, Éponine and Gavroche were running rings around everyone, and Gavroche was currently shouting “EIGHT TO ONE, EIGHT TO ONE!” at the top of his voice.

“I told you I shouldn’t be in goal.” Said Bossuet, as the football once again sailed right past him, through the makeshift goal posts of flasks, picnic baskets and jumpers, and Gavroche’s chant quickly changed to “NINE TO ONE!”

Courfeyrac held his hands up “We give in, Gavroche, you’ve won.”

“No! Jehan said we’d have ice cream if we got to ten.”

“Fine, alright then. But he might have to carry me to the hospital first, when my lungs collapse.”

Courfeyrac had nothing to worry about, though. Within half a minute an alarmingly forceful header from Cosette scored the final goal of the day.

Enjolras had given up on his book by now. Not even a particularly graphic chapter about the Blutgericht could distract him from the thundering cheers. Grantaire laughed at Gavroche dragging Jehan towards the ice cream stand at the other end of the park, and Enjolras couldn’t help but notice the smooth curve of his throat as his head tipped back, or the way his curls shook, and glinted in the sunlight that filtered through the leaves. He was broken from his reverie by Combeferre collapsing next to him and clutching at his sides “I can’t... I’ve forgotten... how to... breathe.”

Enjolras ruffled his hair affectionately, “There, there, give it a minute.” Combeferre just wheezed in response.

A few minutes later, Gavroche scampered over to them, holding the largest ice cream cone known to man, covered in every topping imaginable. Éponine groaned as she saw it “That’s enough sugar to have him running on the ceiling for a week.” Gravroche just stuck his tongue out, then began to enthusiastically attack his ice cream.

Grantaire dug a hipflask out of his satchel and took a sip. Gavroche wrinkled his nose at him “You need to get a new hobby, R.”

“Cheeky. Careful, you’ll start to sound like Uncle Enj.”

Enjolras glared “If you call me Uncle Enj one more-”

Grantaire ignored him and continued “Anyway, I have lots of hobbies. I paint-”

“Yeah, we all know that.”  Mumbled Gavroche through a mouth of ice cream. It was disappearing at a superhuman rate.

“I play the violin, I box-”

“You _box_?” Gavroche looked genuinely impressed now.

“He certainly does,” called out Bahorel “he’s helped me out of a few scrapes.”

Gavroche looked from Bahorel’s hulking frame to Grantaire’s small, wiry one and his eyebrows shot up even further “Will you teach me?”

“Sure.”

Gavroche practically inhaled the last part of his ice cream “Can we start now?!”

“Yeah,” Grantaire smirked and pulled his satchel towards him “in fact, I have something in here that’ll help us get started.” He reached in and pulled out a coiled length of rope. Gavroche looked utterly confused.

“A skipping rope,” said Grantaire, holding it out “you should be able to skip first.”

Gavroche looked unconvinced and turned to the others, as if expecting one of them to tell him it was a joke. Feuilly nodded at him “It’s true, it helps with your footwork.”

Grantaire sighed “Fine, let me show you.” He stood up and walked a few metres away, wrapped the rope around his hands a couple of times and began. Gavroche gaped at him, wide eyed, and it was all Enjolras could do not to imitate him. The rope flicked around Grantaire so quickly that it was hardly visible, and he hopped lightly up and down, crossing his hands and weaving them in a complicated pattern, never once losing the fast rhythm. After a while he stopped, not even out of breath, and held the rope out to Gavroche. “Come on, your turn.” Gavroche eagerly leapt to his feet and took the rope.

“Okay, it’s a bit big for you, so wrap it around your hands a few of times. That’s it... Woah, slow down! You’ve gotta walk before you can run, Gav. A slow rhythm to start, then we can build up to the fancy stuff.” Gavroche stuck his tongue out in concentration, but managed to steadily build a rhythm “‘Ponine, your brother’s a natural!” called out Grantaire.

She smiled proudly “Of course he is.”

***

A few weeks later, Courfeyrac and Enjolras made their way to the back room of the Musain to set up for the group's weekly briefing. Having quite a lot to sort through, they were a good forty-five minutes early. Enjolras was about to push the door open, when Courfeyrac grabbed him, saying “Shhh!” and pointed through the small window of glass in the door.

They peered in and saw that all of the tables and chairs had been pushed to the sides, and Grantaire and Gavroche were in the middle of the room, holding skipping ropes.

 “Okay,” they heard Grantaire say “this is the last time.”

Gavroche ran over to a small set of iPod speakers “Okay, but you have to let me put the song on.”

“Alright then. It’s not exactly the steadiest rhythm for skipping though, kid.”

“Doesn’t matter, now come on.” He pressed play and they stood next to each other, ready to go. The speakers began to play _tonight I’m gonna have myself a real good time..._ and the two of them began jumping in unison. As the music built they got faster, and the two men watching could see that Gavroche had come on really far, even adding in a few tricks with the rope. Grantaire would shout encouragement at Gavroche ever so often, and it was clear to see that he was enjoying himself just as much.

Courfeyrac nudged Enjolras “Isn’t that the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?”

Enjolras started “Wh-what?”

“Gavroche skipping along to Queen, what did you think I meant?” he winked “I’m gonna get a drink while those two finish, coming?”

“Um, no.” Enjolras could feel himself blushing “I think I’ll watch.”

Courfeyrac  laughed and began to walk back into the main bar, before turning and saying “You, my friend, are well and truly fucked.”

Enjolras pretended to ignore him and kept his attention on the pair on the other side of the door, who were both giggling breathlessly together as they skipped.

**Author's Note:**

> Well wasn't that just the sickliest thing you've read in a while. Makes a lovely change from all the physical violence and general angsty emotions that I've been writing about recently!
> 
> I'm going to have to learn about Grantaire's various canon sporting activities, so I can write ridiculous au's about all of them.
> 
> Come say hello on [Tumblr](http://becominghistoric.tumblr.com/) :)


End file.
